Tuesday night, the Yankees lost more than just a ballgame to the Angels (LAA 3, NYY 2). They also lost veteran lefty CC Sabathia to a hamstring injury. He felt a tug throwing a pitch in the middle of the fourth inning and had to be removed from the game.
Afterwards, manager Joe Girardi told reporters Sabathia is likely heading to the disabled list. From George King of the New York Post:
"It's an issue, I anticipate a DL [stint],'' manager Joe Girardi said following the Yankees' 3-2 loss in 11 innings to the Angels in front of 33,159 at Angel Stadium. ... "It is a little sore," said Sabathia, who wouldn't have been on the mound had first baseman Chris Carter caught Didi Gregorius throw for the final out instead having the tick off his glove for a costly error that led to the only run Sabathia gave up. "It happened on the second to last pitch [to C.J. Cron], I felt it grab. I thought maybe it was a cramp but when I went to push off it hurt and didn't feel good."
Sabathia will have tests Wednesday to determine the severity of the injury. It seems though that the team has a pretty good idea he'll need at least 10 days on the disabled list to recover. And as is always the case with 36-year-old hamstrings, these things have a way of taking time to heal.
A hamstring injury will send CC Sabathia to the disabled list. USATSI
Despite Monday's loss, the Yankees remain in first place in the AL East at 38-24, and their plus-116 run differential is easily the best in baseball. Everyone is talking about Aaron Judge and his majestic home runs, but the pitching staff has been pretty excellent too. The Yankees are second in baseball with 3.94 runs allowed per game.
The rotation was, of course, a big question coming into the season. And yet, it wasn't until this past weekend that the Yankees used a sixth starter. They were one of only two teams, along with the Cardinals, to use only five starting pitchers this season prior to that. Chad Green made a spot start Sunday to give struggling ace Masahiro Tanaka an extra day to rest.
Unless Sabathia's injury turns out to be something very minor, the Yankees will need to plug someone else into the rotation for the foreseeable future. Here are their options:
The Status Quo
Chad Green RP / N.Y. Yankees IP: 18 2/3 ERA: 2.41 WHIP: 0.70 K/9: 11.1
The easiest solution would be to stick with what's working now, which means giving Green another start in Sabathia's place. Green made the spot start Sunday, and while he isn't all the way stretched out to 100 pitches after spending most of the season in the bullpen, it is something the Yankees can make work. Green is the de facto sixth starter and plugging him into Sabathia's vacated rotation spot would be the simplest solution.
The Top Prospect
Chance Adams SP / N.Y. Yankees (Minor league stats) IP: 70 2/3 ERA: 1.78 WHIP: 0.96 K/9: 9.2
I'm guessing roughly 95 percent of Yankees fans want to see top pitching prospect Chance Adams get the call to replace Sabathia. He's having another phenomenal season in the minors and he's doing it in Triple-A, which means he's knocking on the door of the big leagues. MLB.com currently ranks Adams as the 96th best prospect in baseball. Here's a snippet of their scouting report:
Adams' fastball was at 92-94 mph at Dallas Baptist and 94-96 in his pro debut, and last year he averaged 94 mph in Advanced Class A and 95 following a mid-June promotion to Double-A ... His slider has gotten harder and sharper in pro ball, arriving in the mid-80s and giving him a second well above-average pitch at times ... Adams' fading changeup has also blossomed as he has used it more, and his curveball ranks as his worst pitch yet still grades as average. He locates his pitches well and loves to attack hitters.
There are roster considerations with Adams. He would have to be added to the 40-man roster, and should he go back down to Triple-A at some point, the Yankees would burn one of his minor league options for what amounts to a spot start. My guess is the Yankees would rather steer clear of Adams if Sabathia will only miss a start or two. If it's a long-term injury, Adams very well might get the call.
The Depth Starters
Bryan Mitchell RP / N.Y. Yankees IP: 13 ERA: 5.54 WHIP: 1.54 K/9: 6.2
In addition to Adams, the Yankees also have several depth starters sitting in Triple-A. Bryan Mitchell has spent most of the season in New York's bullpen, so he is still in the process of getting stretched out. Last time out he threw only 56 pitches in his Triple-A start, so if the Yankees give him a spot start, they're likely looking at 70-ish pitches and maybe five innings. Probably less because Mitchell is not the most efficient pitcher in the world.
Luis Cessa RP / N.Y. Yankees (Minor league stats) IP: 65 ERA: 4.15 WHIP: 1.35 K/9: 6.5
Unlike Mitchell (and Green), Luis Cessa is stretched out and has been working as a starter in Triple-A pretty much all season. He's already on the 40-man roster too, unlike Adams, which means this would be a simple "plug and play" move. Call him up and put him in the rotation. Nice and easy. Cessa doesn't offer the upside of Adams or Mitchell, though he might be the best option if Sabathia is only going to miss one or two starts.
Domingo German SP / N.Y. Yankees (Minor league stats) IP: 59 1/3 ERA: 3.34 WHIP: 1.20 K/9: 9.9
Domingo German made his MLB debut in long relief Sunday. He was called up essentially to piggyback with Green. German came out throwing fire too. Trackman clocked his average sinker at 98.2 mph. Bringing German back to either piggyback with Green again, or make the spot start himself, is another straightforward move. No 40-man roster considerations or anything like that. German offers some upside too. He could be surprisingly helpful.
Outside Help
Because these are the Yankees, you can never rule out a trade. They've reportedly been looking for pitching help even before Sabathia injury, and those efforts could intensify over the coming days. That said, teams know Sabathia is injured, and snooping around for a trade would make the Yankees look desperate. What happens in that case? The prices go up.
The Yankees have enough pitching depth (Green, Adams, Cessa, Mitchell, German, etc.) that they don't need to look to the trade market to replace Sabathia. They have options in house, and hey, if something comes along in a trade that makes sense, they can act on that too. The Yankees are in the middle of a youth movement, and it stands to reason that unless they're getting an impact pitcher in a trade, sticking with their current options makes the most sense at this point in time.
The severity of Sabathia's injury is going to determine how the Yankees replace him. If it's a short-term injury, odds are they will try to get by with some combination of Green, German, and Cessa since they're all already on the 40-man roster and can be easily plugged into the rotation. Calling up Adams sure would be fun, though I doubt the Yankees want to change his development plan to make him a short-term injury fill-in. Sabathia's injury doesn't make Adams more MLB ready, you know?
Point is, New York has been pretty fortunate with pitcher health two months into the season. Their top five starters had all stayed healthy until Sabathia felt something in his hamstring Tuesday. Now the Yankees have to dip into their system to test their pitching depth while Sabathia is on the disabled list.